BATON ROUGE, La. – Seven months after Hurricane Isaac slammed into the Louisiana coast, two Louisiana parishes are creating new paths to recovery with the help of state and federal partners.

Scores of residents and community leaders in St. John and Plaquemines parishes have gathered at open houses and community meetings over the past few months to learn how they can get involved in their communities’ recovery and to identify projects to help bring their visions of recovery to life.

TRENTON, N.J.— New Jersey disaster recovery center hours will change to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday on Monday, April 8. Saturday hours will remain 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nine disaster recovery centers are open throughout New Jersey and are located in Atlantic, Cape May, Hudson, Monmouth and Ocean counties. Survivors can find their closest center online at FEMA.gov/DRC. 

There have been more than 85,000 visits to New Jersey centers since opening in early November.

DENTON, Texas – More than $31.2 million was recently awarded to the state of Texas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for reimbursement of costs to fight wildfires in Bastrop, Cass, Coke, Grimes, Jeff Davis, Kimble, King, Knox, Marion, Montgomery, Palo Pinto, Presidio, Stephens, Stonewall, Tom Green, Waller and Young counties in 2011.

PURVIS, Miss. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are reminding those affected by the February tornadoes and flooding that they have only a short time left to register for assistance.

The deadline for registering is April 15 for residents of Forrest, Greene, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Marion, Perry and Wayne counties.

Assistance is available for homeowners, renters and businesses who suffered loss or damage as a result of the disaster.

TRENTON, N.J. -- Disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Hurricane Sandy by the numbers as of April 1:

NEW YORK –  April 13 is the deadline to register for possible federal disaster assistance and to apply for a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan to help New York recover from Hurricane Sandy.

As the registration and application deadline nears a week from Saturday, more than $3.1 billion in disaster assistance has been approved for survivors. 

That figure translates into families getting back into their homes and schools, businesses reopening, and neighborhoods beginning to move forward.

TRENTON, N.J. -- Survivors of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey now have until May 1 to register for disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return Small Business Administration disaster loan applications.

DENTON, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $6.75 million to the state of Texas for construction of four community safe rooms in the city of Pharr in Hidalgo County, Texas  

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will pay 75 percent or $6,750,000 of the combined $9 million cost.    

The concrete, dome safe rooms, which will also serve as multi-purpose community centers, will be 20,000 square feet each and should provide protection from storms and tornadoes for the people of Hidalgo County.

TRENTON, N.J. -- Replacing lost or damaged records is an important step in recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

While it can seem like a challenging task, the good news is that many vital records are relatively easy to replace. Check the list below to find out where to obtain official copies of your lost or damaged documents.

Insurance: Contact your insurance agent for copies of your policies, recent billing records and cash-value statements.

NEW YORK — New York survivors have until April 13 to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return their applications for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Disaster assistance to New York survivors of Hurricane Sandy:

NEW YORK – FEMA and New York State disaster recovery centers in Nassau and Suffolk counties will change hours of operation beginning Monday, April 1.

Beginning Monday, Nassau and Suffolk disaster recovery centers will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All centers are closed on Sunday.

The five centers are:     

                                    Nassau County

                                    Freeport Recreation Center

NEW YORK – To assist families who are still struggling to locate housing after being displaced by Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today they will reinstitute the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), a unique rental assistance program that provides temporary rental payments directly to landlords to help families displaced by disasters. DHAP-Sandy will help families find intermediate housing as they rebuild their lives.

TRENTON, N.J. -- Hurricane Sandy survivors in New Jersey who do not return their Small Business Administration disaster loan applications could be missing out on valuable funds for their recovery.

Returning SBA disaster loan applications is a critical step for homeowners and renters who registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be considered for federal loans or grants that could be valuable recovery assets.

NEW YORK — Since Hurricane Sandy struck New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $806 million in Public Assistance grants to reimburse state, tribal and local governments and eligible private nonprofits for costs relating to emergency response, debris removal and repairing or rebuilding damaged public facilities.

DENTON, Texas – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate has sworn in Tony Robinson as the new FEMA Region 6 Administrator.

“Tony has provided leadership and oversight during more than 50 federally-declared disasters, including Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav and also the Loma Prieta Earthquake,” said Fugate. “As Administrator for Region 6, I have no doubt Tony will build on his exceptional record in service of disaster survivors and the residents of this region in the years to come.”

WARWICK, RI--Spring is just around the corner, and it is the ideal time to start home repairs. For many Rhode Islanders, this year's springtime repairs include repairing damages from Hurricane Sandy, the Blizzard of 2013, or other severe weather events.

Rhode Islanders who sustained damages from recent severe weather events can call 2-1-1 for a referral to a Long Term Recovery Group or to other disaster aid resources. Information about smart and safe rebuilding is available on the FEMA website, according to FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer James N. Russo

NEW YORK – Sandy survivors need to watch out for people trying to take advantage of their most vulnerable moment. There are a few simple steps survivors can take to protect against fraud and ensure they’re dealing with honest people.

When receiving offers for state or federal aid

Identity thieves are always looking for ways to find their next targets, and some are using offers of state or federal aid to steal personal information from disaster survivors.

It is important to know that:

NEW YORK – At the request of the State of New York, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a 15-day extension for Hurricane Sandy survivors to apply for disaster assistance.

Survivors now have until April 13 to register with FEMA and to return their disaster loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking nominations for participants in the Agency’s Youth Preparedness Council (YPC). 

ATLANTA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency is looking for youth leaders who are dedicated to public service, who are making a difference in their communities, and who want to expand their impact as national advocates for youth disaster preparedness.

Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 interested in strengthen the nation’s resiliency against disasters may now apply or be nominated to serve on FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council. Participants will represent the youth perspective on emergency preparedness and share information with their communities.